Flooding: 'Someone is going to be killed'

Locals say the road is awash with surface water anytime there is a torrential downpour and that this creates treacherous driving conditions for passing motorists.

Alan Hyndman lives on affected stretch of the Bigwood Road in Ardmore. He told the Sentinel that last November when the North West was hit by particularly heavy downpours the condition of the road was especially dangerous.

"Flooding is a big problem," he said. "You would need a boat here. That is no exaggeration. Any girl on her own coming up to our yard there, they are scared, they are actually frightened.

"And it's so bad someone is going to be killed because if you hit that water it's like a torrent. All the contours of the road are different from the drains, which are too high, and that's contributing to the problem," he warned.

Former Londonderry DUP councillor John Henry also lives on the affected stretch. He says the drains on the road have fallen into a worsening state of disrepair over the past six years.

"There are times when I doubt a 12 inch pipe could take that amount of water," he said. "See all the muck and clabber that goes into that now. That's lying open and everything is falling into the drainage. It's ridiculous.

"They may as well have no grating there. The muck and clabber is going straight in down that hole in the far side," added Mr Henry.

Local businessman Sean Quinn of Quinn's Supply Stores said flooding has been a big problem on the road for years now and that it was particularly bad during the inclement weather late last November.

"We were very badly hit," said Mr Quinn. "That road was like a river most of the time. The water was just running down the road. Earlier in the year there was very bad flooding and I phoned one of the Roads Service boys and took him up and showed him where the problems were.

"They did send the lorry up and cleared out one of the gratings at that time. But they seemed to clear it where the problem was localised but didn't realise that there was a bigger problem underneath. It's not visible when they come out," he added.

Mr Quinn said he believes the roots of trees growing along the roadside may be blocking sections of the drain and that the pressure this creates is forcing gratings out of their fixtures. This consequently allows leaves and other detritus get into the drains making matters even worse.

He stated: "The grating has actually risen up out of the ground such is the force of the water. It pushed it out. I'd say the drain is big enough but that it's partially blocked.

"If you look at the row of trees you can see the roots of the trees growing into the drains. Roads Service did come and clear up sections of it - a couple of metres here and there - and that's what they found - roots growing across the drainage pipe."

In relation to flooding on the Big Wood Road a spokesperson for DRD Roads Service said: "If there there are any issues with drainage Roads Service is happy to discuss any problems with residents."